An artist-in-residence makes a film in Nishi-Ogikubo

Nishi-Ogikubo is the western-most outpost of deep Chuo Line culture within the 23 so-called “special cities” of inner Metropolitan Tokyo. Around its station are many individually owned and run businesses, and while the spread of chain operations has affected much of Tokyo, this area still retains its own unique culture. The Nishi-Ogikubo artist-in-residence spends about two months in the community, creating work set there. Together with an exploration of the relationship of art and the community, and the forms of expression created between these two things, the project aims to rediscover the attraction of the area through the unique perspective of an artist.
The exhibition “Holy Nights of Falling Stars: Here’s to You” presents Santa Claus materializing in Nishi-Ogikubo in a short film by Takuro Kotaka. Made during his participation in the first session of this program, the film features the people of Nishi-Ogikubo in improvised performance.
Kotaka’s films, inspired by his unique perception of regional cultures and the lifestyles of those areas’ residents, have been shown at exhibitions and art festivals both in Japan and abroad. Going back and forth between fiction and documentary, he uses humor to bring out our unconscious assumptions. Stepping lightly through everyday life in what is often described as a “difficult society to live in,” he will once again convey us into an unseen parallel world. A definite must-see.